Ancient Egypt: Diodorus Siculus - The daily routine of the pharaohs
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Diodorus Siculus
The daily routine of the pharaohs

As far as the way of living of the kings of Egypt is concerned: they
were not like other monarchs who have the absolute power to act
everywhere according to their whim, but everything was ordained by
laws, not only their official business, but also their daily domestic
life. They were not served by slaves, whether bought or born in the
House, but only by sons of the noblest priests, who were older than
twenty years and the best educated among their fellow countrymen. By
being constantly surrounded, day and night, by the noblest looking
after his bodily needs, any base act of the king would be prevented. No
prince can sink too deep into depravity if he does not have willing
servants to his passions.
The hours of day and night were dedicated to certain tasks the king had
to perform, laid down by laws and not at his own discretion. After
rising in the morning he had to receive the letters which had arrived
from all parts, so that he could make correct decisions based on
precise knowledge of all happenings in the affairs of the state. Then
he had to take a bath, and, decked out with the insignia of royal power
and a white robe, sacrifice to the gods. It was the custom that the
High Priest stood by the side of the king when the sacrificial animal
was led to the altar, and prayed in a loud voice before the people of
Egypt that health and every other boon may be given to the king if he
fulfilled his obligations towards his subjects. All his virtues were
enumerated and it was claimed that he was pious and very humane, just
and noble spirited, moreover he abhorred lies and loved to share, in
short he was above all passions, when prosecuting transgressions the
punishment was less severe than the guilt and when he returned favours
the rewards surpassed the merits.
Much more of this kind was mentioned
by the priest saying the prayers and lastly he pronounced the curse
against the sins of ignorance, voiding any accusation against the king
and making those who had counselled evil and assisted him, responsible
for the damage they had instigated. This act had the purpose to
encourage the king to make pious and god pleasing changes and to make
him become accustomed to orderly behaviour, not by exasperating
reprimands but by courteous praise which extolled his virtues. After
the king had viewed the sacrifice and detected auspicious omens in it,
the lector-priest read out useful advice and chronicles of the deeds of
the most outstanding men from the holy scriptures, in order to direct
the thoughts of the prince, who wielded all power, towards the noblest
endeavours, while he was busy fulfilling the ordained tasks.
Not just public business and court hearings had their prescribed hour,
but also the stroll, the bath, the marital cohabitation, in sum all of
life's functions.
The diet of the kings had to be quite simple; veal and goose were
served at their table, and they drank wine not exceeding a certain
quantity, so that overeating and drunkenness were impossible. Generally
speaking, their whole way of life was ordered so uniformly that one
might have thought it had not been ordained by a law-giver, but ordered
by a most competent physician calculated from rules of healthy living.

One may think it strange that the kings could not decide freely over
their daily diet, it is even stranger that they did not administer
justice and make decisions according to whim and that they were not
allowed to punish somebody moved by fancy or anger or some other base
cause, but had to keep to the letter of the law every single case. They
obeyed these customs not with displeasure or reluctance, they were
rather convinced that they were leading the happiest life. They think
that other people are led astray by an unreasonable forbearance for
sensual urges and commit many acts which lead them into misfortune or
danger, and that a few are probably aware that their intentions are
improper and yet they commit evil, driven by love or hatred or another
passion. Fewer cases of hastiness happen to them because they follow
rules of conduct approved of by the most reasonable men.
Because the kings treated their subjects so justly, the affection the
people had for their princes was stronger than the love between the
closest relatives ever was. Not just the community of the priests, but
all Egyptians did not care as much for their wives and children and
their other goods as they cared for the welfare of their sovereigns.
Therefore, the wisest of the known kings have preserved the native
order, for as long as the legal institution we have just described,
existed.
Moreover they subjugated many peoples and possessed great fortunes.
Throughout the whole land they commissioned unsurpassable works and
institutions and in the cities they built all kinds of marvellous
monuments at great expense.

Diodorus Siculus c. 80 to 20 BCE

The description Diodorus gives of the daily routine of the Egyptian kings is second or third hand knowledge. It also has a strong flavour of utopianism: the excellent qualities of a far off and recently defunct administration are extolled.

served by slaves: Many rich and noble Romans - the people Diodorus wrote for - relied on slaves or freed men to administer their possessions and serve their daily needs. Slavery was not quite as widespread in Egypt as it was in European Mediterranean countries.laid down by laws: Monarchies have a strong tendency to become ritualistic. The Ptolemies were in power for more than two centuries, long enough for elaborate court ceremonies to develop. Moreover they must have been influenced by earlier, millennia old customs.